TRIED AND TESTED FLIGHT
Singapore Airlines
B777-200 business
SINGAPORE–HONG KONG
Thai Smile
A320 economy
BANGKOK–CHIANG MAI
BACKGROUNDSIA operates four
different aircraft on the seven-times-
daily Singapore–Hong Kong service.
The B777-200 is the most frequent,
though it’s the oldest regional product.
CHECK-INI checked in online for my
1505 scheduled departure on SQ872
but was confronted with an error message at the automated bag
drop system and directed to the counter, where I discovered my
seat had been changed from 18F to 15F.
THE LOUNGEThe Silverkris lounge is divided into first and
business class sections. It’s large and softly lit, with plenty of
seating and an excellent selection of buffet-style food and
beverages. A big issue was the dearth of power sockets, though
wifi was strong. Showers and large bathrooms are available.
BOARDINGI left the lounge at 1420 and headed towards gate
A1. Security screening was done at the boarding gate, but it was
quick and painless, and I boarded at 1435.
THE FLIGHTSIA’s regional business class seats are dated –
while lie-flat, they don’t recline a full 180 degrees, sockets are
not international and there are no USB ports. They do have
generous pitch and width, though, and are very comfortable.
Departure was delayed and the pilot announced a revised flight
time; food wasn’t served until 1615, but it was up to SIA’s usual
high standards, as were the IFE offering (large screen and lots to
choose from) and noise-cancelling headphones.
ARRIVALWe landed 30 minutes late at 1925, but I was through
HK immigration by 1940 and my bag arrived swiftly.
VERDICTThe B777-200 offers an inferior seat product to SIA’s
other aircraft, but the experience is still good, and the lounge,
food and service remain outstanding.Craig Bright
JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2018BACKGROUNDThai Smile, the wholly owned subsidiary
of Thai Airways, aims to fill the gap between full service and
low-cost airlines. It was created in 2011, and initially was called
Thai Wings. It currently flies to 11 airports in Thailand, plus seven
neighbouring countries, including India and Taiwan.CHECK-INWe arrived at Bangkok’s Suvarnabhumi airport at
1300 for our 1520 departure on Thai Smile flight WE164. We had
bags to check, but there was no queue. The checked bag weight
maximum was 20kg; 30kg if you fly in the Smile Plus class.BOARDINGThere were two Thai Smile flights boarding at
neighbouring gates. The flight to Phuket was called first, then the
flight to Chiang Mai. It was well organised, with Gold cardholders
being invited to board first, via a bus to the aircraft.THE FLIGHTAll passengers had pre-assigned seats at no
extra cost. However the doors shut and the aircraft was pushed
back while people were still putting their luggage away in
overhead compartments. Nevertheless, I was very impressed
with the service. Unexpectedly, we were given two sandwiches
and a bottle of water, and also free soft drinks from a trolley.
Considering it was such a short flight
and almost full, the flight attendants
did this in a very unhurried and
professional manner, with lots of
smiles (appropriately enough).ARRIVALWe arrived on schedule,
and this time had an air bridge into
the airport at Chiang Mai. As we were
domestic passengers, we had no wait,
and after a few minutes our checked
bags arrived on the carousel.VERDICTVery good and exceptional
value for money.To m O t l e yBEST FOR...
No hidden extra charges.PRICE
THB5,100 (US$157) flexi-
return in mid-February.FLIGHT TIME
50 minutesCONTACT
thaismileair.com/enBEST FOR...
Regional short-haul.PRICE
A return business ticket in
mid-February starts from
S$933 (US$693).FLIGHT TIME
3 hours 45 minutesCONFIGURATION
2-2-2CONTACT
singaporeair.combusinesstraveller.com
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